Space X, Musk: 'Starship is an accelerator for science'

SpaceX is once again aiming for the stars with a new test of Starship, the massive rocketship designed by Elon Musk for future missions to the Moon and Mars. The launch, scheduled to take place from Starbase (Texas) at 1.15am Italian time, will mark the eleventh test flight of the most powerful space system ever built.

The mission will last for a total of 1 hour and 6 minutes. Although both modules - the Super Heavy booster and the Starship shuttle - will end their flight with a ditching at sea, the test represents a key step in the collection of data for the refinement of the reusable launch system.

The new flight comes less than two months after the success of the previous test, in which both stages had completed their descent manoeuvres with precision. This time, the aim is to test new-generation components, including the Super Heavy booster equipped with 24 flight-tested Raptor engines, and an innovative five-engine control in the re-entry phase. The Starship upper stage, meanwhile, will attempt the release of eight Starlink simulators, test versions of the next-generation satellites.

For Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, the test goes far beyond a technology demonstration. "Starship is an incredible accelerator for science," he said, emphasising how the full reusability of the rocket could reduce launch costs and make space transportation sustainable and reliable.

According to a SpaceX memo, the system - more than 120 metres high, like a forty-storey skyscraper - could also open a new era for medical and biotechnological research. In the absence of gravity, the company's experts explain, stem cells grow more uniformly, facilitating the development of regenerative therapies and studies on diseases such as osteoporosis. In addition, microgravity makes it possible to cultivate protein crystals of the highest quality, which are essential for the creation of targeted drugs against cancer cells.